We sail tonight from Holyhead, travelling there on the blue bus with the dark and menacing rear lounge and upstairs kitchen, our preferred means of conveyance currently stuck in a garage with brake trouble. Whether the weather will hamper our progress to and around the emerald isle is a matter of much speculation - snow and ice storms are arriving from the arctic north as I write this. It's probably a good thing that Tim is used to such conditions as he makes his home in Sweden. This inclemency may also make it difficult for me to fly back to the UK for the laying to rest of a dear friend on the 20th, meaning I'll miss the Belfast show the night before. I really, really hope there's a break in the weather.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Day seventeen of this leg and the crew have been hit by a spate of falling over. Matt toppled twice in the crappy Viper Room in Vienna yesterday and Mark blacked out in the bus bog (after a healthy dose of Jim Beam though I blame the overpowering stench myself) leaving him with a nasty bump on the back of his head. So far I've managed to remain vertical but I'm having to be extra careful just in case.
The Viper Room has quite a bit of history it seems. It's deep underground in an ancient tunnel system where in the twelfth century the bodies of some eight hundred unfortunates were found buried during the second Ottoman siege. After that it was both an orphanage and a convent, finally becoming a shitty dive of a club in more recent times.
In marked contrast today's venue is superb - we're in the lap of luxury backstage with the legendary Sandra looking after all our culinary and towelling needs.
The Viper Room has quite a bit of history it seems. It's deep underground in an ancient tunnel system where in the twelfth century the bodies of some eight hundred unfortunates were found buried during the second Ottoman siege. After that it was both an orphanage and a convent, finally becoming a shitty dive of a club in more recent times.
In marked contrast today's venue is superb - we're in the lap of luxury backstage with the legendary Sandra looking after all our culinary and towelling needs.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
On our way to Leamington and the Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen-designed Assembly venue. I really don't know what to expect but it should be noted that roadies don't do fancy. I somehow managed to cram in two incredibly disappointing meals in Nottingham where we stayed for our day off. The first was a pitiful excuse for a roast chicken dinner served at the Yates's pub by the main square, not redeemed in any way by the "free" splat of crumble and custard masquerading as dessert. After Lee and John witnessed their beloved Everton getting thrashed by Bolton on a screen thirty feet wide a few of us ventured out to a curry house around the corner which (judging by the messages on their wall) comes highly recommended by much of the UK's celebrity elite, all of whom must have appeared at one time or another at the theatre across the road. Since the aforementioned meal I find myself urged to pen strongly-worded letters to, among others: Bob Carolgees, Little and Large, Christopher Biggins, David Essex, Lenny Henry, Dawn French, the bloke out of the "Confessions of..." films, and Whitesnake. I intend to ask why exactly they would recommend such bland, lukewarm and overpriced fare. Ah, thinking about it, I might have answered my own question there.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
As mentioned in a previous post the venue for the Bulgaria show had to be switched due to a roof collapse, and what this meant in reality was that Anathema became the first rock band ever to play the prestigious Sofia Philharmonic Hall, a grand old room that was the perfect setting for a great show in front of some nine hundred-odd very loud and eager punters. Later a good few of us tucked in to some top grub at a local restaurant while others bopped along to "Shakey and the Blood Rain" at an after-show party, Shakey being a fat greebo with a builder's cleavage. We then set off on the punishing journey to Bratislava, a trip which would take us through much of the terrain already endured over the past few days. So I retired to my bunk, drifting off to Doug Stanhope on the iPod.
I don't know how much later it was but I woke to the sound of Les screaming,
"Everybody get up and get off the bus now!"
So we did, quickly. The bus was filled with the kind of foul smelling smoke which comes from burning plastic. Not good at all. We stood in the road in the dark as Tim explained that the brakes were overheating as we'd just come down a particularly steep mountain road. Indeed, smoke was billowing out from the wheel arches (where you could warm your hands if you so wished) and some of this had found its way into our quarters, leading us to think quite understandably that the bus was on fire. We stood in the night for a while to let the brakes cool and to let a bit of air in, stepping out of the way for the odd passing car and the even odder old man on two horses.
The next time I woke was the next morning around ten o'clock. I wandered downstairs to make a cup of tea and found several fellow transportees still drinking heroically. Les was sporting comedy Fu Manchu eyebrows fashioned from gaffer tape and was spouting gibberish between blowing raspberries at people. He decided he needed to be off the bus for some reason, taking advantage of the fact we were parked up in the middle of ugly nowhere. Just as he stepped off the bus pulled away forcing him to run like hell to get back on board. In a scene reminiscent of the opening credits to "The Little House on the Prairie" he fell head first into a ditch. Most amusing.
A short while later we were required to show our faces for the cops at the border with Romania (these particular public servants not requiring several hundred euros in bribes unlike their fat, lazy counterparts in the traffic service) and it then became apparent we were taking a shortcut - hundreds of kilometres shaved off the journey by taking a ropey little ferry across the Danube - a good idea in theory though the reality was somewhat different. First of all the bus got stuck for a good twenty minutes trying to get on the thing, the entire vessel having to move to level the ramp and free us. A short hop across the river later and we were ready to disembark, though this time the trailer hit a kink in the ramp and the tow bar was ripped clean off the back of the bus. Not good news at all. A kindly soul hooked the stranded trailer to his truck and pulled it off the ferry for us while we drove a hundred yards or so down the road to a staggeringly dreary yet extremely handy garage for a spot of emergency welding. Thankfully we weren't stuck there for as long as expected. While the welder welded, a two litre bottle of cheap lager always by his side, we fed pressed ham to stray dogs and then scared them off with weird chords, watched two massive cranes do their work and marvelled at the sheer depressing ugliness of this Romanian border outpost.
After two more bored coppers relieved us of another hundred euros for no good reason and then ordered us out of town (we were leaving anyway, thanks) we drove through interminable nothingness for hours until we finally set up camp at a weird roadside truck stop where we ate undercooked sausages while soft porn played on the television in the background. We then drank sickly local wine at a bar across the way, arriving just as the house band were packing up for the night - a lucky escape I think. We're currently making our way to Bratislava where we hope to arrive at around six pm so it'll be another mad dash to get set up. Crazy times.
The next time I woke was the next morning around ten o'clock. I wandered downstairs to make a cup of tea and found several fellow transportees still drinking heroically. Les was sporting comedy Fu Manchu eyebrows fashioned from gaffer tape and was spouting gibberish between blowing raspberries at people. He decided he needed to be off the bus for some reason, taking advantage of the fact we were parked up in the middle of ugly nowhere. Just as he stepped off the bus pulled away forcing him to run like hell to get back on board. In a scene reminiscent of the opening credits to "The Little House on the Prairie" he fell head first into a ditch. Most amusing.
Friday, May 23, 2014
In 2008 the genius behind the greatest band there's ever likely to be, Tim Smith, suffered a serious debilitating stroke and he's been in hospital ever since. In a noble and moving effort to raise funds to help with Tim's ongoing care many who owe a debt of gratitude to Cardiacs for their inspiration and influence have contributed cover versions of their songs for an album to be released in early December. The album is "The Leader of the Starry Skies" and is available for pre-order here. It features, among others, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, Andy Partridge of XTC, Oceansize, The North Sea Radio Orchestra and Julianne Regan of All About Eve.
If you pre-order you also get a bonus cd containing even more tracks for free. If you're unfamiliar with the music of Cardiacs then do yourself a favour and check them out on iTunes. "Sing To God" part 1 is as good a starting point as any, but don't expect it to be an easy listen. Perseverance will reap rich rewards though.
Here is an amazing performance from their 1992 "Mare's Nest" video. Enjoy.
If you pre-order you also get a bonus cd containing even more tracks for free. If you're unfamiliar with the music of Cardiacs then do yourself a favour and check them out on iTunes. "Sing To God" part 1 is as good a starting point as any, but don't expect it to be an easy listen. Perseverance will reap rich rewards though.
Here is an amazing performance from their 1992 "Mare's Nest" video. Enjoy.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Well, as far as working for Anathema is concerned it is. Due to circumstances way beyond my control I have made the decision to terminate my role as Anathema's guitar tech. It's a shame as I've had some great times on the road with them and wouldn't swap those experiences for anything. I've enjoyed putting this blog together over the years, it helping to keep me sane when I've found myself in all manner of odd places and situations around the world. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. If I find myself on the road with another band (anyone looking for a guitar tech?) I'll write some more. In fact, I might even have the odd rant from time to time if I feel like getting something off my chest. I'll leave it here for the time being and we'll see what happens.
Cheers everyone, and make sure you listen to Cardiacs, the greatest band on the planet.
Darryl
Cheers everyone, and make sure you listen to Cardiacs, the greatest band on the planet.
Darryl
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
TI30XA Solar School Edition
Brand : Texas Instruments
Sales Rank :
Color :
Amazon.com Price : $14.99
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Descriptions TI30XA Solar School Edition
TI30Xa Solar School Edition. Note: only the white faceplate version of this calculator is allowed in Virginia State Standards of Learning Exams
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Texas Instruments introduced with the TI-30Xa SE a more robust version of the original TI-30Xa Solar for school purposes. Compared to the standard calculator this ...
Texas Instruments introduced with the TI-30Xa SE a more robust version of the original TI-30Xa Solar for school purposes. Compared to the standard calculator this ...
TI-30 Anniversary - Calculator
Picture: Year: Official Name: Comments: 1976 TI-30: The first TI-30 was introduced June 13, 1976 with an impressive technology. Everything is snapped together, no ...
Picture: Year: Official Name: Comments: 1976 TI-30: The first TI-30 was introduced June 13, 1976 with an impressive technology. Everything is snapped together, no ...
TI Calculator User Manuals and Support Information: Retrevo
Retrevo has more than 95 PDF manuals for over 54 TI products. Below are quick links to some popular TI Calculator models. Did you know that Retrevo also offers buying ...
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Texas Instruments, Casio, Sharp, and Hewlett Packard scientific calculators for school and business general math, algebra, trigonometry, and statistics. Yellow EZ ...
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TI-30 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The TI-30 was a scientific calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments, the first model of which was introduced in 1976. While the original TI-30 left production in ...
The TI-30 was a scientific calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments, the first model of which was introduced in 1976. While the original TI-30 left production in ...
How to Clear a TI Calculator | eHow
How to Clear a TI Calculator. Texas Instruments makes calculators for use in a variety of business, scientific, mathematical and casual environments. Each ...
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TI 81 Calculator Instructions | eHow - eHow | How to ...
TI 81 Calculator Instructions. The Texas Instruments TI-81, introduced in 1990, was the company's first graphing calculator. The calculator was designed for algebra ...
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Monday, May 19, 2014
Reviews for Texas Instruments TV/Video Presenter for TI ViewScreen Teacher Calculators (TIPRESENTER)
Texas Instruments TV/Video Presenter for TI ViewScreen Teacher Calculators (TIPRESENTER)
Brand : Texas Instruments
Sales Rank :
Color :
Amazon.com Price : $275.99
Features Texas Instruments TV/Video Presenter for TI ViewScreen Teacher Calculators (TIPRESENTER)
Allows TI calculators to connect to television screens
Compatible with TI ViewScreen teacher model calculators
Connects via video input to VCRs, televisions, or video projectors
Software starts automatically when devices are turned on
Includes connecting cables; 1-year warranty
Descriptions Texas Instruments TV/Video Presenter for TI ViewScreen Teacher Calculators (TIPRESENTER)
TI Presenter
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Texas Instruments TI30XA - Scientific Calculator Manual
Texas Instruments TI30XA - Scientific Calculator Manual Manuals and User Guides for this Texas Instruments item
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Texas Instruments TI5019 - Home/Office Calculator Manual
We have the following Texas Instruments TI5019 manuals available for free PDF download. You may find documents other than just manuals as we also make available many ...
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TI83+/TI-84+ Calculator Instructions - CPM
CPM TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Instructions 3 X. WHOLE-CLASS PROJECTION An option for the teacher to demonstrate calculator use to the whole class is a document camera:
CPM TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Instructions 3 X. WHOLE-CLASS PROJECTION An option for the teacher to demonstrate calculator use to the whole class is a document camera:
Brandon Wilson - brandonw.net
I've released some code for the PC and TI-84 Plus/Silver Edition graphing calculators to form a bridge between an Xbox 360, graphing calculator, PC, and wired controller.
I've released some code for the PC and TI-84 Plus/Silver Edition graphing calculators to form a bridge between an Xbox 360, graphing calculator, PC, and wired controller.
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Popular Teacher Designed Activities: These are the most popular lesson plans and curriculum units accessed by teachers on the web site.
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Friday, May 16, 2014
Guerrilla Silicone Case for Texas Instruments TI Nspire CX/CX CAS Graphing Calculator, Black
Brand : Guerrilla
Sales Rank :
Color : Black
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Protect your graphing calculator with our top quality fully wrap-around silicone cases. Fashionably designed by Guerrilla - the leader in calculator accessories, this case is manufactured with the highest quality silicone and provides the ultimate protect
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The TI-Nspire CX handheld features a full-color, backlit screen, thin sleek design and includes TI-Nspire rechargeable battery. Use images including your own photos ...
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Texas Instruments® TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator Reviews forTexas Instruments® TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator 4.5stars (223 reviews)
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Guerrilla Silicone Case for Texas Instruments TI 83 Plus Graphing Calculator, Available in Multiple Colors
Guerrilla Silicone Case for Texas Instruments TI 83 Plus Graphing Calculator, Available in Multiple Colors
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